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You're as Cold as Ice...
By
Janine Annett
Published Aug 27, 2004
Modified Mar 7, 2008
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By
Janine Annett
Published Aug 27, 2004
Modified Mar 7, 2008
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Why do women always complain that they are cold?
- Hot-blooded
Here at Ask Gothamist HQ, the women are always freezing while the men complain that it's too hot. In indoor, climate-controlled situations such as offices, typical attire for men (especially in the summer) tends to be much heavier than women's attire; hence the men are warmer. If I was wearing a long-sleeved shirt, long pants, a jacket, and a tie, I'd be warm too. As you have probably noticed, a lot of women who work in offices tend to wear light blouses, skirts, and such in the summer - which makes sense when the women are getting dressed and the weatherperson is predicting a humid, sweltering 85 degree day. However, in our humble experience, the facilities manager and staff in offices always seem to be predominantly male, and are therefore the ones setting the office temperature. Naturally, the men at the office (who are wearing heavier clothes and are therefore warmer) make the temperature 65 degrees and the women (who are dressed for 85 degrees) are cold.
What about those balmy evenings when you are perfectly fine but your girlfriend is cold, and you're both wearing similar types of clothing? Ask Gothamist directs you to the motherlode of answers to all arcane questions, the Straight Dope. Cecil's answer to the "Why are women always cold?" question sums up several scientific theories nicely. Basically, women are colder than men because of any one or all of the following factors (aside from wardrobe and indoor climate as mentioned above):
a.) Most women are smaller than most men. Heat dissipation is determined by skin surface area, and the smaller a person's size, the lower their heat generation to heat dissipation ratio is - hence, the colder they are.
b.) Men tend to have higher muscle mass, which generates heat.
c.) There is a theory that due to vasoconstriction (restriction of blood flow to the skin), women's bodies shut off blood flow to the skin as temperature drops in order to provide more warmth to their uteruses - making their extremities colder.
d.) There is another theory that menstruation affects women's temperatures due to possible anemia (iron deficiency) and hormonal changes.
Now that you know why your female acquaintances are always cold, you can help take their mind off their shivering by sharing these interesting scientific theories with them along with offering them your jacket and fetching them hot beverages!
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